KermieB
Petty Officer 2nd Class
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2010
- Messages
- 144
I just picked up my second BoatAngel boat.... a 1996 Maxum with a Mercury 150 O/B. The owner lives on a beautiful 30+ acre estate on the Chesapeake Bay, appears to have tons of money, probably hires out all of his service and decided to give this boat to charity. He tells me that it was winterized in Oct. and the boat was running great. He bought his new boat this year and never took the old one out of winterization. I've worked on cars and equipment most of my life, so I'm not 100% idiot, but this is my first outboard.
I pull the boat 500 miles back to South Carolina and the engine won't start. I came on here first to see what I may have to do to "bring it out" and almost all the threads say, "just crank her up, let the smoke settle, and go have fun." The engine turns over great, I can smell fuel in the exhaust, but it sounds like there is just no spark whatsoever. No fire...! No sputter, no trying to ignite, no drag. The engine just turns over and over and over.
I'm thinking that because he gave the boat to charity and didn't need to sell... there's no reason for this guy to tell me anything but the truth, that the engine is fine and this problem HAS TO BE SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE. It has to be!
I'm thinking it's a fuse, and the only fuse I find under the cowl is in a watertight fitting and it's OK. There are two other fuses at the battery, both to accessories, both fine. There is a fuse box under the dash, again, all OK.
I bypass the dead man's switch, to see if it's maybe gone bad, no help. Same thing. I'm sure this problem HAS to be something simple and there is something in an OB that I don't know to look for.....
...what's the secret answer guys? What is the simple little thing that I don't know to check?
I pull the boat 500 miles back to South Carolina and the engine won't start. I came on here first to see what I may have to do to "bring it out" and almost all the threads say, "just crank her up, let the smoke settle, and go have fun." The engine turns over great, I can smell fuel in the exhaust, but it sounds like there is just no spark whatsoever. No fire...! No sputter, no trying to ignite, no drag. The engine just turns over and over and over.
I'm thinking that because he gave the boat to charity and didn't need to sell... there's no reason for this guy to tell me anything but the truth, that the engine is fine and this problem HAS TO BE SOMETHING VERY SIMPLE. It has to be!
I'm thinking it's a fuse, and the only fuse I find under the cowl is in a watertight fitting and it's OK. There are two other fuses at the battery, both to accessories, both fine. There is a fuse box under the dash, again, all OK.
I bypass the dead man's switch, to see if it's maybe gone bad, no help. Same thing. I'm sure this problem HAS to be something simple and there is something in an OB that I don't know to look for.....
...what's the secret answer guys? What is the simple little thing that I don't know to check?